This invention relates to a vehicle seat of the type comprising a base frame including front and rear transverse support members, a backrest, and a seat pan having a rear part mounted on said transverse support members adjacent to the backrest for angular movement about a transverse horizontal axis and a front part which is mounted for angular movement relative to the rear part between a position in which its top surface is co-planar with the top surface of the rear part and a position in which the front edge of the front part is lower than its rear edge when the rear part is substantially horizontal.
DE-A-4039100 discloses a seat of this type in which the front part of the seat pan serves as a leg rest. A seat in which the front part of the seat pan serves as a thigh support is described in GB-A-2232078.
For medical reasons, it is undesirable for passengers to remain seated in one position for long periods of time. Obviously, it is undesirable for large numbers of passengers in an aircraft to leave their seats at the same time. Particularly in economy class seating, the scope for passengers to move while remaining in their seats is severely limited. It is an object of the present invention to provide a seat with enhanced possibilities for a passenger to move without leaving the immediate vicinity of the seat.
According to the invention, in a vehicle seat of the type described above, the distance between the front transverse support member and the rear edge of the rear part of the seat pan is less than two thirds of the distance between the front edge of the front party of the seat pan and the rear edge of the rear part of the seat pan.